Friday, March 29, 2013

Airs - 2013 - Adore

Airs is a two piece band from San Francisco, California. They play a self described brand of shoegaze that incorporates aspects of screamo to great effect. Adore is their third release and features guest vocals from Bitty Drake (Pity Sex, Procession) and Cat Miyashiro. They describe Adore as "an album about the disintegration of friendships and relationships and the inability to do anything about it." Usually shoegaze isn't my thing, it doesn't grab me the way it does other people but the infusion of punk and screamo into these songs just grabs and doesn't let go. The album is available on cassette tape from Driftwood Records. Get it here and support independant music

Still For A Moment is one of those songs that right from the opening chords you know it's going somewhere and my other favourite song Blue feels like the song starts already in gear and just never lets up. Throughout this whole album the guitars are huge and never stop coming at you. They go from melodic and melancholic to soaring and almost robotic.

On Adore Airs uses the wall of noise to great effect, venturing almost into noise territory with the layers and volume while never forgetting about some semblance of memory. The singer has a great voice, capable of both a melodic croon and a more frustrated shout but isn't afraid of throwing some effects on his voice to flow with the music.

Airs have lots of elements to work with on Adore. They have successfully brought a screamo sensibility into their songs which only serves to accent the nosier and aggressive aspects of shoegaze without abandoning the sense of vulnerability and intimacy shoegaze brings to the table. Watch for this album on best of 2013 lists, it definitely deserves to be there.